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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Improving Quality of Life of People with Dementia

Meaning
of quality of life differs from person to person for some it may be playing
guitar for another it may be enjoying traveling to exotic locations or spending
quality time in front of beach.Social relationships,
cultural values, financial conditions, physical and mental health are the
different factors which defines each person’s quality of life. Despite changes
and loss of abilities, people with dementia can still find happiness and
experience satisfaction.

Picture courtesy: Silver innings 2015

Caregivers
who take care of people with dementia should understand that they enjoy some
types of activities and also like to do useful things. Caregivers should add
creative, meaningful and fun-filled activities and encourage people with
dementia to enjoy what they can still do. With appropriate environment, they
can lead productive, happier and satisfying life and are less likely to show
disturbed behaviour.

Include Fun-Filled & Meaningful
Activities

The
idea behind including fun-filled activities is to have fun, don’t force them to
be perfect or follow complex set of rules. Do not point out mistakes or seize
control of what they are doing. Support them, but do not push them. While
selecting an activity, ensure that it is something they will like to do. They
may enjoy painting and playing games such as Snakes & Ladders or stacking
colored rings.

Person
with dementia might feel insignificant and useless due to their reduced
abilities as compared to their active life in the past. Explore activities that
can make them feel positive and good about themselves. They may lose interest
in midway while performing any task or perform the activity at slow pace. Do
not except them to do it faster or push them to complete the task. The idea
behind this activity is to make them feel useful and happy.

Provide a Relaxed & Safe Environment

Each
person finds relaxation in different things depending on their character, likes
& dislikes. Some may like listening bhajans, while some might like
aromatherapy or some may like spending time with pets for their unconditional
love.

Use
different types of reality orientation techniques, which can help in reducing
confusion among the persons with dementia about the time. Have a suitable
communication so that you can understand them and they can understand you.
Ensure that they should not get frustrated due to any kind of excess help or
changing their daily routine. Provide them with exact amount of help they
require, so that they feel capable and independent.

To
conclude, people with dementia can still find happiness and experience
satisfaction, if we include fun-filled & meaningful activities in their
daily routine as well as strive to provide a relaxed and safe environment to
them.

Ravi
Shet is the writer of this article and
Co-founder of www.treatum.com,
an online healthcare portal connecting patients with right doctors.

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